The Xi Jinping leadership has tightened the screw on Hong Kong by setting limits to the autonomy that the Special Administrative Region (SAR) of Hong Kong can enjoy.

Hong Kongâs skyline

On Tuesday, the State Council or central government published a White Paper on âThe Practice of the âOne Country, Two Systemsâ Policy in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.â

The White Paper pointed out that âthe central government has the power of oversight over the high degree of autonomy [in Hong Kong],â meaning that Beijing has full authority to interpret what autonomous powers that the SAR can enjoy â and that this interpretation can change in accordance with the circumstances.

Beijingâs latest effort to rein in what it regards as centrifugal forces in Hong Kong goes against the spirit of the Joint Declaration on Hong Kong that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) administration signed with Great Britain in 1984, which paved way for the return of Hong Kongâs sovereignty to China.